Thank you for promoting a meeting of Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (known as A4) with the Hon. J Prentice MP, Assistant Minister for Disability, on 25th November 2016. I am optimistic that further discussion will lead to benefits for autistic people and people living with autism/ASD around the country.

A4 is the national grass-roots advocacy organisation for autistic people and people living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Australia.

Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia, known as A4, is disappointed that the Australian Government decided to defraud vulnerable autistic people and that it chooses to discourage autistic people from working.

Your government’s latest debt fabrication scheme

takes money from autistic people who made the effort to get some employment, and

sends a clear message to unemployed autistic people that unless they can get a permanent full-time job, they should not try to get work at all.

However, I am concerned. When we met recently, it seems your staff had advised that Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia, known as A4, was excluded from your disability consultation processes because organisers in your Department did not have A4's address; they claimed that they didn't know which state A4 was located in so A4 was left off all the lists.

But they did know the address to send a Christmas card to A4's Convenor.

Dear Mr Buckley
Thank you for your email of 12 October 2016 to the Assistant Minister for Social Services and
Disability Services, the Hon Jane Prentice MP, regarding best practice early intervention for
autistic children and continuity of supports under the NDIS. The Minister has asked me to reply
to you on her behalf.

The Agency continues to consult with experts such as the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism and advocacy groups around the ECEI approach. The Agency values the experience and knowledge from these important groups of stakeholders.

Please would you provide the complete list of the experts that the NDIA consults relating to the provision/delivery of the NDIS for autistic people? And please would you explain how the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism is a “stakeholder” in the NDIS.

We understand this means the NDIA will not consult with Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4).

On 11/11/2016, A4 received a letter (dated 9/11, see below) from Assistant Minister The Hon Jane Prentice MP in response to A4's email that contained a meeting request. A4 sent a copy of the original letter to the Assistant Minister.

I write about the promise that “that no one will be worse off under the NDIS” (see here). My particular concerns relate to autistic children and their access to impartial information and effective (best practice) early intervention.

I am writing to you because writing to the NDIA (see here, here, here and here for example) made no discernible difference (on these, or any other significant issue)

Thank you for your email of 6 October 2016 to the Chief Executive Officer of the National Disability Insurance Agency (the Agency), Mr David Bowen, about the Agency’s Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) approach for autistic children. Mr Bowen has asked me to respond on his behalf. I apologise for the delay in responding.